Russian Invasion of Ukraine[In Progress]

[af_newbie]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60916098

Russia has announced it will "drastically reduce" military combat operations in two key areas of Ukraine "to boost mutual trust" in peace talks.
[...]
Officials in Washington said they had already seen the Russians draw away from Kyiv, but they were still pounding the capital with air strikes and the US had little confidence that it marked any significant shift or meaningful retreat.

"mutual trust" my ass. Russian forces have been stalled there for a month with and Ukrainians started to counterattack.

The decrease in the intensity of the operation near Chernigov and Kiev began two days ago, today it was presented as a gesture of goodwill on the part of Russia. I think everything is more prosaic - the main goal now is to clean up Mariupol and defeat the troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass. After the defeat of the Ukrainian regular army in the east, Russia will probably take a short pause to force peace negotiations, simultaneously moving to Nikolaevsk and Odessa and threatening to completely deprive Ukraine of access to the sea (even the loss of Mariupol in this regard is very painful for Ukraine). If it is possible to conclude a peace treaty, all nationalist detachments in the West of Ukraine will turn into ordinary terrorist gangs, which in fact they are. If a peace treaty is not signed on terms acceptable to Russia, the operation will continue, but in the West there will be much less loyalty and desire of Russian soldiers to save the lives of civilians. There, the main task will be to save the lives of Russian soldiers to the maximum, so artillery and aviation will work more. This is my vision of the development of the situation as the most likely scenario.

The current proposals of the Ukrainian side in the negotiations are unrealistic and even close to unacceptable for Russia. There will be no second Khasavyurt or new Minsk agreements.

I would be surprised Putin would cave in and accept stronger than the Article 5 security guarantees.
Ukraine knows they don't need NATO to defend themselves. They need arms.

Putin wants Ukraine territory but without anti-Russia resistance, i.e. without Ukrainians. And he wants it to be annexed to Russia.

I am afraid this war will go on until the last Ukrainian (or his children and grandchildren) are alive or until the last Russian occupier
or their supporter leaves Ukraine (Donbas/Luhansk and Crimea).

Until then, it will be an open hunting season on Russian occupiers, supporters, and collaborators.

If they reach an agreement, it will be temporary, I am afraid.

Lasting peace can only be reached when one side wins or loses.

The Mongols have been raiding Kievan Rus for hundreds of years.  This is just another attempt. Nothing new here.

Seems like Russia is doing divide and conquer. No way it can take Kyiv with <200k troops much less west Ukraine. Looks like now they're just taking out UA mech units and going after fuel reserves. Then they can concentrate on everything east of Dnieper river one at a time, without worrying about reinforcements coming in from the west. ...

They already tried the eastern part, on three fronts. On a single front, it will be three times as hard.

If the West will keep supplying them with weapons and humanitarian aid, Ukrainians can just bleed Russians and wait, then bleed them some more and wait.

Russian tanks and other equipment cannot be easily replaced under sanctions as the production is dependent on the US, German, and South Korean parts. Putin just issued an order to convert their military equipment production to models from the 1960s to use domestic,
Soviet technology. But this will take time for re-tooling, re-training, getting the right crews, etc. This is another fucked up idea by our chess
genius, comrade Putin.

Anyway, if Russia continues this adventure, which I think they will, they will ruin the country economically.
In the end, they will be 'trading/giving up' nukes for the World to lift sanctions, and/or to be able to sell their gas and oil.

I think the US just found the perfect way to ruin the Soviets once and for all.

[be.open]

Russian tanks and other equipment cannot be easily replaced under sanctions as the production is dependent on the US, German, and South Korean parts. Putin just issued an order to convert their military equipment production to models from the 1960s to use domestic,
Soviet technology. But this will take time for re-tooling, re-training, getting the right crews, etc. This is another fucked up idea by our chess
genius, comrade Putin.

How desperate are you if you hope that Putin will run out of tanks. Now, in military chronicles from the Russian side, they mainly show Soviet T-72s (with a modernized cannon that pierces even older Ukrainian T-60s through the forehead), which are stored in factory solid oil in warehouses, tens of thousands of units, as a legacy from the USSR . Where are the modern Armata tanks, or at least the T-90? They are simply not necessary within the framework of the model of warfare used in Ukraine in the conditions of complete Russian dominance in the air.

I think the US just found the perfect way to ruin the Soviets once and for all.

I hope this will not happen too quickly, otherwise the cavalry division of the fighting Buryats has not yet jumped up from the remote taiga to look at the Ukrainian asphalt and electric street lighting for the first time in their lives.  

[Branko]

It was a mistake , when they were USSR and much bigger and integrated they could not beat Afghanistan that had  few handmade rifles , they just will make a bloody wound that humanity never forget 
 

And what USA accomplished in Afghanistan with 10X USSR military budget?

[paxmao]

Russian tanks and other equipment cannot be easily replaced under sanctions as the production is dependent on the US, German, and South Korean parts. Putin just issued an order to convert their military equipment production to models from the 1960s to use domestic,
Soviet technology. But this will take time for re-tooling, re-training, getting the right crews, etc. This is another fucked up idea by our chess
genius, comrade Putin.

How desperate are you if you hope that Putin will run out of tanks. Now, in military chronicles from the Russian side, they mainly show Soviet T-72s (with a modernized cannon that pierces even older Ukrainian T-60s through the forehead), which are stored in factory solid oil in warehouses, tens of thousands of units, as a legacy from the USSR . Where are the modern Armata tanks, or at least the T-90? They are simply not necessary within the framework of the model of warfare used in Ukraine in the conditions of complete Russian dominance in the air.

I think the US just found the perfect way to ruin the Soviets once and for all.

I hope this will not happen too quickly, otherwise the cavalry division of the fighting Buryats has not yet jumped up from the remote taiga to look at the Ukrainian asphalt and electric street lighting for the first time in their lives.  

It is funny to hear people talking about Putin's army in those terms... the T-90, which is awesome, yet costs a fortune has a very limited production (and only requires 1 cheap Javelin to destroy of which there are 15000 in Ukraine as of now), Putin's air forces which are said to be awesome... yet absent and scared to fly over Ukraine due to the air defences and, again, expensive and unreplaceable,... It seems that Putin's strategy is to scare Ukraine by talking about how big the army is, without actually being able to field it, supply it and use it to any degree of effectiveness except where they have 20 to 1 superiority and at the cost of many young Russian soldiers dying.

But the special tragic comedy price falls onto the "stored T-72s" argument. Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works? Do you think Putin u can do a better job at supplying these than he is doing now with the troops he has? Do you think their crews will feel safe and willing to enter into combat in a tank that can be put our of service even with a well thrown Molotov or a cheap RPG?

Yes, in theory Putin's walk-in closet is full of robes and dresses he was to use in his parade, yet these do not seem to be anywhere to be seen. Who will tell the emperor that he is naked?

Now, seriously, it is not about how many tanks Putin "has" is about how do you keep an army supplied and combat effective when the conflict extends and extends due to a determined resistance, you are under financial pressure and the supply lines start to stretch beyond your ability to defend them effectively. A lesson that is hard to learn and seems to have eluded many generals - even brilliant ones such as Napoleon and even nations such as Spain in America not to mention silly attempts such as the crusades and... Putin's aggression to Ukraine.

...
The EU is run by a bunch of Transatlantic Woke Tards, they have no idea what they are doing and will let anyone except russia do damage as much as they want in the EU

Yet they do not seem to be sending their young to die on a purposeless war. If Putin is how a "real leader" looks like, I am keeping the "Tards".

[be.open]

Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works?

Yes, this is exactly how it works, a mothballed tank is taken from the warehouse, the re-mothballing procedure is carried out and the tank is ready to fight. Ukrainian fighters of the defense are similarly armed with Soviet-made Kalashnikovs, they are new in factory lubrication, as part of the Ukrainian legacy from the USSR. Old Soviet tanks played an important role in the military doctrine of the USSR, providing the ability to strike with a mechanized tank column within 48 hours anywhere in the Eurasian continent. The current military doctrine of Russia is more progressive and less relies on the brute force of tank divisions, but the tanks themselves have not gone away. That's where they came in handy.

[paxmao]

Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works?

Yes, this is exactly how it works, a mothballed tank is taken from the warehouse, the re-mothballing procedure is carried out and the tank is ready to fight. Ukrainian fighters of the defense are similarly armed with Soviet-made Kalashnikovs, they are new in factory lubrication, as part of the Ukrainian legacy from the USSR. Old Soviet tanks played an important role in the military doctrine of the USSR, providing the ability to strike with a mechanized tank column within 48 hours anywhere in the Eurasian continent. The current military doctrine of Russia is more progressive and less relies on the brute force of tank divisions, but the tanks themselves have not gone away. That's where they came in handy.

I see... you seem to be lacking a few basic on maintenance, material sciences and mechanical engineering as Putin seems to be lacking trained crews and supplies. I am glad to know that Putin's strategic defence is based on these premises, I feel much safer. I hope the US military does not find out about this battleplan, most of them are much more aggressive than me.

Now, about that doctrine and theories... where are those tanks? They do not seem to be in Kyiv? When there is a difference between words and facts, I tend to look at facts, but that's just me.

[be.open]

Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works?

Yes, this is exactly how it works, a mothballed tank is taken from the warehouse, the re-mothballing procedure is carried out and the tank is ready to fight. Ukrainian fighters of the defense are similarly armed with Soviet-made Kalashnikovs, they are new in factory lubrication, as part of the Ukrainian legacy from the USSR. Old Soviet tanks played an important role in the military doctrine of the USSR, providing the ability to strike with a mechanized tank column within 48 hours anywhere in the Eurasian continent. The current military doctrine of Russia is more progressive and less relies on the brute force of tank divisions, but the tanks themselves have not gone away. That's where they came in handy.

I see... you seem to be lacking a few basic on maintenance, material sciences and mechanical engineering as Putin seems to be lacking trained crews and supplies. I am glad to know that Putin's strategic defence is based on these premises, I feel much safer. I hope the US military does not find out about this battleplan, most of them are much more aggressive than me.

Now, about that doctrine and theories... where are those tanks? They do not seem to be in Kyiv? When there is a difference between words and facts, I tend to look at facts, but that's just me.

I think these tanks for the most part continue to be stored in hangars, because in such quantities they are simply not needed in the operation in Ukraine. The very concept of warfare has changed a lot in 30-50 years. A key factor for the success of the operation in Ukraine is Russia's control over the airspace. You don't need a lot of tanks if your recon drones see the picture of what is happening, and the Ukrainian army is actually fighting blindly. Not knowing where and when the next blow will come from the sky.

The young, unfired soldiers, for whose fate you are so touchingly worried, are also not needed. Mostly professional military personnel with real combat experience take part in the operation from the Russian side. It should sound like "100%" instead of "mostly", but unfortunately it seems not so and it turned out that somewhere in the supply of the rear units, conscripts were involved. I hope this misunderstanding has now been completely corrected.

[paxmao]

Do you think that you just leave a tank there and then, after 20 years, you turn the key and it works?

Yes, this is exactly how it works, a mothballed tank is taken from the warehouse, the re-mothballing procedure is carried out and the tank is ready to fight. Ukrainian fighters of the defense are similarly armed with Soviet-made Kalashnikovs, they are new in factory lubrication, as part of the Ukrainian legacy from the USSR. Old Soviet tanks played an important role in the military doctrine of the USSR, providing the ability to strike with a mechanized tank column within 48 hours anywhere in the Eurasian continent. The current military doctrine of Russia is more progressive and less relies on the brute force of tank divisions, but the tanks themselves have not gone away. That's where they came in handy.

I see... you seem to be lacking a few basic on maintenance, material sciences and mechanical engineering as Putin seems to be lacking trained crews and supplies. I am glad to know that Putin's strategic defence is based on these premises, I feel much safer. I hope the US military does not find out about this battleplan, most of them are much more aggressive than me.

Now, about that doctrine and theories... where are those tanks? They do not seem to be in Kyiv? When there is a difference between words and facts, I tend to look at facts, but that's just me.

I think these tanks for the most part continue to be stored in hangars, because in such quantities they are simply not needed in the operation in Ukraine. The very concept of warfare has changed a lot in 30-50 years. A key factor for the success of the operation in Ukraine is Russia's control over the airspace. You don't need a lot of tanks if your recon drones see the picture of what is happening, and the Ukrainian army is actually fighting blindly. Not knowing where and when the next blow will come from the sky.

The young, unfired soldiers, for whose fate you are so touchingly worried, are also not needed. Mostly professional military personnel with real combat experience take part in the operation from the Russian side. It should sound like "100%" instead of "mostly", but unfortunately it seems not so and it turned out that somewhere in the supply of the rear units, conscripts were involved. I hope this misunderstanding has now been completely corrected.

So, tanks are the strategy of Putin, but at the same time they are not the strategy of Putin and they are not needed, right?. I see.

So, Russia has air superiority, yet almost no planes are being used. And while some areas are attacked by cruise missiles, many are also stopped. This is certainly not my concept of air superiority, which anyway is not that useful for urban warfare, but just to humour your point.

While the US cannot send troops over the terrain, they are certainly feeding a sh*tload of info to the Ukrainian Army, basically the best military network of satellites and radars at their full disposal along with all the information that seems to be leaking from every rank of Putin's military. Seriously, I just cannot believe how accurate the information that is being passed by the US is, I am starting to think that Putin is a double agent. Fighting blind... you must be joking.. out here in the West the movements of troops are even in public TV!

On the soldiers... well, someone has to worry about them you know, and it does it seems that you and Putin could not care less about them. Nor their families.

Sending conscript was a "mistake that has been corrected"... I agree, it has been "corrected" swiftly by the Ukrainian army. Somehow, it fails to make me happy.

[be.open]

So, tanks are the strategy of Putin, but at the same time they are not the strategy of Putin and they are not needed, right?. I see.

Tanks are needed, just a couple of thousand of them are enough, there is no need for tens of thousands of tanks for the success of the operation in Ukraine.

So, Russia has air superiority, yet almost no planes are being used. And while some areas are attacked by cruise missiles, many are also stopped. This is certainly not my concept of air superiority, which anyway is not that useful for urban warfare, but just to humour your point.

As far as I can see, reconnaissance drones are actively used on the Russian side. Airplanes and helicopters are also used, but not as actively. The drone finds the target, followed by a missile attack. Why reinvent the wheel when simple things work. In urban conditions, this tactic works worse, I agree. This is probably why Russian soldiers do not particularly climb into the cities, with the exception of Mariupol - control over which is of great strategic importance.

While the US cannot send troops over the terrain, they are certainly feeding a sh*tload of info to the Ukrainian Army, basically the best military network of satellites and radars at their full disposal along with all the information that seems to be leaking from every rank of Putin's military. Seriously, I just cannot believe how accurate the information that is being passed by the US is, I am starting to think that Putin is a double agent. Fighting blind... you must be joking.

Well, in this case, we must admit that operational tactical information support from US satellites does not help the Ukrainian army much.

On the soldiers... well, someone has to worry about them you know, and it does it seems that you and Putin could not care less about them. Nor their families.

There are risks in every profession, and for the professional military, these are the risks of being killed, captured or injured in the course of doing their job. Their relatives will receive compensation and survivor's pensions, and they themselves will be declared heroes who suffered in the fight against Nazism.

[paxmao]

So, tanks are the strategy of Putin, but at the same time they are not the strategy of Putin and they are not needed, right?. I see.

Tanks are needed, just a couple of thousand of them are enough, there is no need for tens of thousands of tanks for the success of the operation in Ukraine.

So, Russia has air superiority, yet almost no planes are being used. And while some areas are attacked by cruise missiles, many are also stopped. This is certainly not my concept of air superiority, which anyway is not that useful for urban warfare, but just to humour your point.

As far as I can see, reconnaissance drones are actively used on the Russian side. Airplanes and helicopters are also used, but not as actively. The drone finds the target, followed by a missile attack. Why reinvent the wheel when simple things work. In urban conditions, this tactic works worse, I agree. This is probably why Russian soldiers do not particularly climb into the cities, with the exception of Mariupol - control over which is of great strategic importance.

While the US cannot send troops over the terrain, they are certainly feeding a sh*tload of info to the Ukrainian Army, basically the best military network of satellites and radars at their full disposal along with all the information that seems to be leaking from every rank of Putin's military. Seriously, I just cannot believe how accurate the information that is being passed by the US is, I am starting to think that Putin is a double agent. Fighting blind... you must be joking.

Well, in this case, we must admit that operational tactical information support from US satellites does not help the Ukrainian army much.

On the soldiers... well, someone has to worry about them you know, and it does it seems that you and Putin could not care less about them. Nor their families.

There are risks in every profession, and for the professional military, these are the risks of being killed, captured or injured in the course of doing their job. Their relatives will receive compensation and survivor's pensions, and they themselves will be declared heroes who suffered in the fight against Nazism.

A missile attack? Do you know that the accuracy of a Russian cruise missile is around 400 meters? There is not way you can use these for small critical military targets. Just civilian buildings, large bases and depots at most, apart from the comparative cost and the economics of it.

The info Ukrainians are getting is one of the reasons why the "mighty" Putin's machinery is stalled. Again, 1 month and Putin does not seem to be able to progress beyond roughly 150 km from their bases.

Every voluntary soldier (not conscripts) chose to serve their country. There is a difference between Russia and Putin, between defending your country and waging a war of aggression against, to a point, your own brothers. Apart, the seems to be an absolute disregard to soldiers lives in Putin's army - unequipped, poorly led, uninformed,... No general in history has shown such a disregard for casualties.

[Branko]

A missile attack? Do you know that the accuracy of a Russian cruise missile is around 400 meters? There is not way you can use these for small critical military targets. Just civilian buildings, large bases and depots at most, apart from the comparative cost and the economics of it.

I doubt it...their hypersonic missile hit oil depot inside Lvov with 1m precision...and its WAY harder to guide
hypersonic missile compared to ordinary one. USA results are worse, but also less talked about because they:

a) kill brown, not white people, so USA general public care less
2) control mass media, so its reported less (if at all)

[paxmao]

A missile attack? Do you know that the accuracy of a Russian cruise missile is around 400 meters? There is not way you can use these for small critical military targets. Just civilian buildings, large bases and depots at most, apart from the comparative cost and the economics of it.

I doubt it...their hypersonic missile hit oil depot inside Lvov with 1m precision...and its WAY harder to guide
hypersonic missile compared to ordinary one. USA results are worse, but also less talked about because they:

a) kill brown, not white people, so USA general public care less
2) control mass media, so its reported less (if at all)

Hypersonic missiles are very cool to show and they are certainly to be feared. There is one little problem, the same with the T-90. The production is short and difficult, they are usually much more expensive than most of the targets they aim to destroy. They only make sense for attacks on ships and industry.

In the case of the Armata T-90, is a piece of art.. and as expensive as a Picasso. A Picasso can be destroyed with a 5 dollar Molotov, the multi-million T-90 requires a 50k missile of the thousands that are available to UKR to go puff.

I am not sure why are you mentioning race here. USA results tend to be awful when they get into countries they just do not understand nor care about yes.

[Branko]

Hypersonic missiles are very cool to show and they are certainly to be feared. There is one little problem, the same with the T-90. The production is short and difficult, they are usually much more expensive than most of the targets they aim to destroy. They only make sense for attacks on ships and industry.

In the case of the Armata T-90, is a piece of art.. and as expensive as a Picasso. A Picasso can be destroyed with a 5 dollar Molotov, the multi-million T-90 requires a 50k missile of the thousands that are available to UKR to go puff.

I am not sure why are you mentioning race here. USA results tend to be awful when they get into countries they just do not understand nor care about yes.

Armata is t-14, and t-90 is totally another tank

mentioning race because its obviously important...conflict in Yemen is bigger humanitarian disaster, but
almost ignored in mainstream media. What could be other possible reason?

[paxmao]

Hypersonic missiles are very cool to show and they are certainly to be feared. There is one little problem, the same with the T-90. The production is short and difficult, they are usually much more expensive than most of the targets they aim to destroy. They only make sense for attacks on ships and industry.

In the case of the Armata T-90, is a piece of art.. and as expensive as a Picasso. A Picasso can be destroyed with a 5 dollar Molotov, the multi-million T-90 requires a 50k missile of the thousands that are available to UKR to go puff.

I am not sure why are you mentioning race here. USA results tend to be awful when they get into countries they just do not understand nor care about yes.

Armata is t-14, and t-90 is totally another tank

...

You are right, I crossed my T's.

 Both are more expensive that a MLAW or a Javelin. From a design and engineering point of view, Armata is a good showpiece.

[Gyfts]

Russia is now walking back their statements on demanding rubles for oil exports to countries they deem "unfriendly."

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

Appears they understand they cannot further restrict their economy when it's already on the decline. IMO Russia understands the war is a lost cause and they have no way to circumvent the sanctions, so they have to play the game that the West wants them to play. Using China and India as trading partners can only support Russia's economy to a certain extent. Being isolated from the West has ramifications. There were also some reports that Putin's military generals are downplaying the status of the war and the severity of Russian troop losses because they don't want to be the bearer of bad news. Putin is losing control of his economy and his military.

[paxmao]

Russia is now walking back their statements on demanding rubles for oil exports to countries they deem "unfriendly."

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

Appears they understand they cannot further restrict their economy when it's already on the decline. IMO Russia understands the war is a lost cause and they have no way to circumvent the sanctions, so they have to play the game that the West wants them to play. Using China and India as trading partners can only support Russia's economy to a certain extent. Being isolated from the West has ramifications. There were also some reports that Putin's military generals are downplaying the status of the war and the severity of Russian troop losses because they don't want to be the bearer of bad news. Putin is losing control of his economy and his military.

It seems that, on the pissing contest, Germany's got a bigger one this time. Changing unilaterally a contract would send a message difficult to recall to the markets, which in the end are based on reputation (as I said in a few posts).

However there is a chance that Russia may actually implement this on future contracts. One of the reasons why the USD can print money with such generosity is that it is backed by crude, since most contracts around the world request a payment in USD. If Russia decides to change that on their oil and gas contracts, which may be a distinct possibility in the future, it may reinforce the rouble and make it more stable.

[af_newbie]

Russia is now walking back their statements on demanding rubles for oil exports to countries they deem "unfriendly."

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

Appears they understand they cannot further restrict their economy when it's already on the decline. IMO Russia understands the war is a lost cause and they have no way to circumvent the sanctions, so they have to play the game that the West wants them to play. Using China and India as trading partners can only support Russia's economy to a certain extent. Being isolated from the West has ramifications. There were also some reports that Putin's military generals are downplaying the status of the war and the severity of Russian troop losses because they don't want to be the bearer of bad news. Putin is losing control of his economy and his military.

If they break the terms of existing contracts, nobody would want to sign any contracts with Russia, ever again.

Even Soviet barbarians do understand that.

Besides this was just a power play for domestic media consumption.

There was no economic benefit to be paid in Rubles, actually a small loss due to spread in the exchange rate.

If nothing will change, in the next couple of years, Russia will be fucked royally as the West stops buying raw materials from Russia and stops
selling finished products to Russia.

Russians have one big problem.  They think their nation, their culture, and their country are better than any other country.

The sad reality is that their economy is the size of Texas, and their GDP per capita (10K) is less than half of that of tiny Estonia (23K).

Russia is one of the poorest countries in continental Europe.

Talk about mismanagement, lol.

[tvbcof]

Russia is now walking back their statements on demanding rubles for oil exports to countries they deem "unfriendly."

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

...

It seems that, on the pissing contest, Germany's got a bigger one this time. Changing unilaterally a contract would send a message difficult to recall to the markets, which in the end are based on reputation (as I said in a few posts).

However there is a chance that Russia may actually implement this on future contracts. One of the reasons why the USD can print money with such generosity is that it is backed by crude, since most contracts around the world request a payment in USD. If Russia decides to change that on their oil and gas contracts, which may be a distinct possibility in the future, it may reinforce the rouble and make it more stable.

From what I hear (mainly info/hypotheses from Scott Ritter in this case) Russia was pretty careful to honor the letter and spirit of existing contracts, and why would they not?  There are plenty of things for which contracts are not drawn to get going on the Ruble (and hopefully BTC) stuff.  If Germany cannot or will not honor their side of the contracts because they feel the need to kowtow(*) to Washington, oh well (shrug).

Russia seems to be playing the 'reliable partner' angle recently (last decade or so.)  In other words they, as a matter of policy, do what they say, say what they do (if they say anything at all), and don't make up shit out of whole cloth.  If one wants to have a trusted currency, best to neither make it non-fungible or inflate it to worthlessness.  If you are going to do that [cough, 'U.S.', cough] you better be damn sure that you've got enough leg-breakers to force most/all players into your racket.  I don't think they do.  Not anymore.

I do hope that the U.S. and Western minions stick to their guns AND that Russia is serious about BTC.  Huge opportunities to broker/supply liquidity for transactions since things like fertilizer will be dirt cheap in Russia even while the West is in the famine-zone and the products are in high demand.

* Kowtow - 'To show servile deference.'

[mikeywith]

Ukraine has never attacked any country, never in its history.

More than 5000 Ukrainian troops were sent to Iraq to help the U.S with its invasion, now unless those troops went there to get a tan (the sunlight in Iraq is pretty strong) -- your statement is false.

[be.open]

A missile attack? Do you know that the accuracy of a Russian cruise missile is around 400 meters? There is not way you can use these for small critical military targets. Just civilian buildings, large bases and depots at most, apart from the comparative cost and the economics of it.

The accuracy of Russian missiles is less than one meter. The main work on the destruction of military facilities in Ukraine is carried out by Caliber missiles and X-101 cruise missiles. Their range is sufficient for confident coverage of the entire territory of Ukraine, the power is also sufficient (400-450 kg in TNT equivalent). These missiles are unattainable for the missile defense of Ukraine and Ukraine has no analogues.

The info Ukrainians are getting is one of the reasons why the "mighty" Putin's machinery is stalled. Again, 1 month and Putin does not seem to be able to progress beyond roughly 150 km from their bases.

During the month of the operation, the military potential of Ukraine was significantly weakened. The eastern group in the Donbass is at risk of falling into the cauldron, Ukraine has not delivered a single serious counter-strike.

Every voluntary soldier (not conscripts) chose to serve their country. There is a difference between Russia and Putin, between defending your country and waging a war of aggression against, to a point, your own brothers. Apart, the seems to be an absolute disregard to soldiers lives in Putin's army - unequipped, poorly led, uninformed,... No general in history has shown such a disregard for casualties.

The losses of the personnel of the Russian army exceed the losses of the civilian population of Ukraine - a consequence of the tactics chosen by Putin to minimize damage to the fraternal people of Ukraine. The losses of Ukrainian soldiers are ten times greater than the losses of Russian soldiers - and soon Ukrainian propaganda will no longer be able to hide it. The Ukrainian army is suffering serious losses in personal strength and dramatic losses in military equipment, which the West can replace with a maximum of Javelins. Tanks, planes, helicopters, ships, air defense missiles, Tochka-U missiles, etc., Ukraine's losses in heavy equipment are great and irreplaceable. Soon the regular army will turn into gangs of Nazis with Kalashnikovs.

Russia is now walking back their statements on demanding rubles for oil exports to countries they deem "unfriendly."

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russia-will-not-demand-immediate-switch-gas-payments-roubles-kremlin-2022-03-30/

Appears they understand they cannot further restrict their economy when it's already on the decline. IMO Russia understands the war is a lost cause and they have no way to circumvent the sanctions, so they have to play the game that the West wants them to play. Using China and India as trading partners can only support Russia's economy to a certain extent. Being isolated from the West has ramifications. There were also some reports that Putin's military generals are downplaying the status of the war and the severity of Russian troop losses because they don't want to be the bearer of bad news. Putin is losing control of his economy and his military.

The journalists made a loud headline, relying on the words of the press secretary, although in this situation it is better to focus on Putin's words and look at the market reaction. I think Putin will give Europe a chance to save its face, just then Europe will pay even more for Russian gas.  

Russians have one big problem.  They think their nation, their culture, and their country are better than any other country.

Please do not project your Ukrainian nationalist complexes onto Russia. Russia has its place in the world and this place is not small. Cultivating Russophobia is a losing strategy for the European Union, and for anyone else. Russia has a lot of natural resources and a large surplus of energy, which the European Union needs to have a powerful and competitive industry. Without industry, Europe will turn into a reservation of refugees and the unemployed, with a great cultural heritage and interesting for lovers of extreme tourism.

Everyone knew that the Ukrainian army would suffer much casualties. But Russia's  disposition or belief was that Ukraine would fall in days. They made the world feel that they had the military might to overrun Ukraine easily. Now people are surprise that the 'little' Ukraine is giving the 'almighty' Russia a bloody nose. Hence, even if Ukrainian loss is hundred times higher than Russia,  Zelensky would still receive standing ovations around the world.

It looks like the West is ready to fight in Ukraine with Russia to the last Ukrainian, and even in the US Congress they put on badges with the Ukrainian flag as a sign of support. The army of Ukraine is currently completely paralyzed and shackled by the Russian army, deprived of the possibility of regrouping and changing its location, delivery of ammunition and fuel is difficult - in response to any movement of military equipment, a rocket immediately flies from the sky and there is no more military equipment. The military are locked in their fortified positions and in cities with civilians, from the point of view of military science, this campaign for Ukraine has already been lost, although of course it was lost from the very beginning. Reliable for blitzkrieg - naive fantasies, what the Russian army did in a month is a real result.

By the way, yesterday there was a episode when Russia returned captive soldiers from Snake Island to Ukraine. The very ones that Ukrainian propaganda has already declared heroically dead and awarded them with orders posthumously. Now they are alive and they were solemnly presented with well-deserved awards for their heroic deed on Snake Island to repel Russian aggression. Against the backdrop of the recently released videos of torture and executions of Russian captured soldiers by Ukrainians, this looked very amusing.